'Only Way Forward For Congress Is To...': G-23 Leaders After Meet At Ghulam Nabi Azad's Residence

Ghulam Nabi Azad is likely to meet party chief Sonia Gandhi at 10 Janpath on Thursday and present the final proposal of the G-23 members.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, one of the party's G-23 members (Getty Images)

New Delhi: The leaders of the Congress's "Group of 23" on Wednesday said the only way forward for the party was to adopt a model of collective and inclusive leadership and decision making at all levels.

Following the Congress's election rout in five states, some leaders of the party's G-23 met at the residence of Ghulam Nabi Azad over dinner on Wednesday to discuss the future strategy.

The meeting was to be held at Kapil Sibal's residence but the venue was shifted at the last moment, ANI reported. 

In a statement, the G-23 leaders also urged the Congress leadership to initiate talks with like-minded forces to create a way for a credible alternative in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

Ghulam Nabi Azad is likely to meet party chief Sonia Gandhi at 10 Janpath on Thursday and present the final proposal of the G-23 members, ANI reported.

READ | Poll Debacle: Sonia Appoints Leaders To Assess Situation In 5 States, Suggest Organisational Changes

The G-23, which has been critical of the Congress leadership, had written to Sonia Gandhi in 2020 demanding an organisational overhaul.

Among the leaders who attended the meeting were Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal, Manish Tewari, Sandeep Dikshit and Shashi Tharoor, a surprise inclusion.

Before attending the meet, Tharoor posted a cryptic tweet. "I have learned so much from my mistakes, I'm thinking of making a few more," Tharoor said.

Other leaders who attended the dinner were Patiala MP Preneet Kaur, former Gujarat chief minister Shankar Singh Vaghela, former union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar and former Haryana speaker Kuldeep Sharma.

The G-23 meeting comes a day after Sonia Gandhi sought the resignation of Congress presidents of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa following the party's dismal performance in the states.

On Wednesday, Sonia Gandhi engaged five senior leaders to assess the post-poll situation in five states and suggest organisational changes.

Rajya Sabha MP Rajani Patil has been asked to assess the situation in Goa, Jairam Ramesh in Manipur and Ajay Maken in Punjab. Jitendra Singh will asses the situation in Uttar Pradesh, while Avinash Pandey has been asked to do so in Uttarakhand.